Together Forever
by JHLZ.NTL
Summary: A sky bison is a friend for life!


**~~~~~~~~~~125AG~~~~~~~~~~**

Tenzin was six years old when his father decided he was ready for his own sky bison. The Avatar placed an apple in his son's hand and explained to him how a sky bison was a friend for life.

"Can Lin come with us to get my sky bison, since she is my friend for life?" Tenzin asked.

"Yes she may," Aang replied not wanting him to explain to his son how he and Lin may not always be so close.

As they made their way down to the meaddow, both children became increasingly anxious, clinging to Aang's hands with both of theirs as they soon became surrounded by a half dozen sky bison and a dozen sky bison babies.

"Even the babies are so much bigger than us!" Lin exclaimed clenching Aang's hand even tighter as they neared the center of the meadow.

"They are," Aang confirmed.

"What do I do, Dad?" Tenzin asked looking up at his father.

"Just offer the apple to the sky bison, and one of them will choose you. And remember, a sky bison is a friend for life, Tenzin," Aang said with a smile on his face.

Lin held the avatar's left hand with both of hers, squeezing tighter whenever a sky bison came close to her. Tenzin meandered through the meaddow several times, each time returning alone, still with the apple in his hands.

"Dad, what if none of them like me," Tenzin asked hopelessly.

"You just have to be patient, my son," Aang insisted.

Tenzin sighed and rounded the meadow again, each time ignored by every baby bison he approached.

With her rudimentary seismic sense, Lin felt something big and heavy coming up behind her. She squeezed Aang's hand and closed her eyes to get a better look at the intruder without turning.

"It's just another baby bison, Lin," Aang said gently, bending down to the small girl's level.

She opened her eyes to find the big fluffy baby had rounded her person and now stood in front of her. She bison smelled her and she smelled back before grimacing at the oddly musty smell of a baby who had never had a proper bath.

"I think he likes you," Aang laughed.

"But why?" Lin asked looking to the Avatar with a puzzled expression on her round little face.

"I don't know," Aang replied honestly as Tenzin looked on with hurt.

"But Baby Bison, I've nothing to offer you," Little Lin said letting go of Aang to show the baby bison her empty hands. "I'm not an airbender!" Lin added kicking a stone out of the ground, punching it over to a tree. The sky bison looked over at the stone as it flew away, then took the opportunity to jump on the five year old girl and lick her happily as she screamed in terror, covering her face.

"No don't touch her!" Tenzin yelled airbending at the bison. The bison who jumped up to avoid it then deciding that Tenzin was a threat, landed between them and blew Tenzin into a bush with the flap of his tail. Lin rolled onto her stomach to see who tried to save her as the baby bison moved to straddle her again, protectively and roar at Tenzin.

"Tenz!" Lin cried, trembling. She tried to push herself off the ground but the baby bison didn't move.

"Uncle Aang! Do something!" Lin screamed with tears in her eyes as the Avatar struggled to stifle his own laughter.

"Lin, I believe this bison has chosen you, for his animal companion," the Avatar explained pulling her out from under the baby bison.

"I don't understand! I'm not an airbender!" Lin replied holding her saliva covered arms away from the saliva saturated clothing that covered her body.

Aang shrugged. Lin stomped her heel into the ground launching Tenzin out of the bush then slid her foot across the ground, causing the ground beneath Tenzin to lurch forward towards her as he yelped in surprise.

"But he is!" Lin said thrusting Tenzin between herself and the baby bison, extending his arms out towards the baby giving him a little nudge. The bison sniffed the apple in the young airbender's hands, then sniffed the young airbender. He must have decided the boy was satisfactory, for the baby accepted the apple and licked Tenzin from ankle to face as well.

"UGH!" Tenzin spat out the bison saliva that got intot his mouth. Lin roared with laughter now, but her amusement was short-lived as she received a second lick.

Tenzin laughed at her now. She punched him hard on the arm, but he was unfazed. He continued beaming at her as he rubbed the forming bruise.

"Thanks, Lin," Tenzin said genuinely, looking over at his best friend.

"For what?"

"For helping me get a sky bison."

The baby bison also looked over at Lin, nudged Tenzin aside and licked the little girl a third time, knocking her over.

"Oof! Aang! He keeps giving me oogies!" Lin cried covering her face.

"That's what we can name him!" Tenzin exclaimed.

"What?"

"Oogi!"

Lin thought about it with a small frown on her face as Aang scooped her off the ground again and waterbent as much of the bison saliva out of her clothes and off of her face as he could.

Then Lin smiled.

"Welcome to our family, Oogi," she said grabbing Tenzin's arm with her right hand and the baby bison with her left, embracing them both in a group hug.

"I guess this means we'll always be together, huh buddy?" Tenzin asked the bison.

"All of us!" Lin corrected Tenzin looking from him to the bison and then back again.

Aang watched on with a smile fixed on his face as his son, his son's little friend and their newest addition to the family embraced. Everything about the three of them together seemed so right at that moment.


End file.
